Dry Creek Regional Park in Union City is a little greener thanks to the hard work of a teenager going for gold. Union City resident and Girl Scout Laurel Brodzinsky built an 18 feet by 30 feet herb garden using re-purposed ranch fence posts, installed an irrigation line for all the planters and filled the beds with topsoil over a period of six months.

In late August 2010, she completed her Girl Scout Gold project with a "planting day" assisted by a crew of volunteers consisting of younger Girl Scouts, Venture Scouts and community members. The beds were filled with more than $100-worth of herbs. The project provides park visitors with an enriching experience of new sights, smells and knowledge of Victorian herbs.

Laurel is in Girl Scout Troop 33978 and will attend UC San Diego in the fall. The Girl Scout Gold Award is the equivalent of the Boy Scout Eagle Award. Both are the highest awards in their respective organizations and require a project that not only benefits the community but, involves a great degree of leadership.

For information about the Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA), visit www.GirlScouts.org. To learn more about the Girl Scouts of Northern California Council, visit www.GirlScoutsNorCal.org or call (510) 562-8470 or (800) 447-4475.